Dhanush (howitzer)

Dhanush (bow) is a 155 mm towed howitzer manufactured by Advanced Weapons and Equipment India at Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur, previously a part of Ordnance Factory Board. The gun was approved for service in 2019 and has been inducted into the Indian Army. The Dhanush project was started by OFB to replace the older 105 mm Indian Field Gun, 105 mm Light Field Gun and the Russian 122 mm guns with a modern 155 mm artillery gun.

Development
The initial indigenous development of artillery guns in India started in the 1970s with the Artillery Gun Development Team under Brigadier Gurdyal Singh at Gun Carriage Factory, Jabalpur. This resulted in the introduction of 105 mm Indian Field Gun and its variant, the Light Field Gun into the Indian Army.

The purchase of Haubits FH77 guns manufactured by Bofors in the 1980s included technology transfer to OFB. After many years being unable to acquire or import foreign artillery guns due to the corruption charges, OFB developed the Dhanush gun based on the technical data package that was included in the purchase of the FH77. Improvements and modernisation of the original construction included lengthening the gun barrel from 39 calibres to 45, inertial navigation-based sighting system, auto-laying facility, onboard ballistic computation and an advanced day and night direct firing system.

In trials performed in Sikkim at an altitude of 3500 m at sub-zero temperatures the Dhanush gun performed better than the Bofors gun by 20 to 25 percent in parameters like range, accuracy, consistency, low and high angle of fire, and shoot-and-scoot ability.

Three Dhanush guns were handed over to the Indian Army for user trials in July 2016. Battery trials were expected to be completed by July 2017 with 18 guns entering service in 2017, 36 guns in 2018, and 60 guns in 2019, for an Indian Army order of 114 guns. Each regiment has 18 guns and two are reserved.

The Dhanush experienced a few problem during trials, failing on three occasions in a row in 2017. It was reported in July 2017 that the howitzer failed the last phase of testing, due to the shell hitting the muzzle brake. A redesign of the barrel by widening it was being considered to solve the issue. Later an investigation revealed the incident happened due to a defective shell. Further trials were conducted by firing about 5000 shells in the desert regions and icy glaciers of the Himalayas without any incident. In June 2018, Dhanush completed final development trials. In February 2019, it was approved for series production.

Manufacturing
The gun was officially inducted by the army on 8 April 2019. 93 Field Regiment becoming one of the first units to be armed with this gun and had the honour to participate in the 71st Republic Day Parade and Army Day parade in 2020 with its new equipment.

A recent manufacturing disruption occurred due to the untimely procurement of a spare part needed for a sub-assembly. The production of Dhanush has restarted following a pause due to a shortage of spare parts. In FY2023–2024, Advance Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) intends to supply the Indian Army with 26 brand-new howitzers. With this, the Army will have 50 Dhanush weapons overall. The Army received the first set of 6 guns in April 2019. Accidents such as barrel bursts and muzzle brake strikes marred the early years of manufacturing. At that point, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) was in charge of the Gun Carriage Factory in Jabalpur. New terms and conditions were signed with the new entity AWEIL following the corporatization. According to the revised terms, the delivery is proceeding as planned.

Upgrade
Advanced Weapons and Equipment India upgraded 155 mm/45 calibre into 155 mm/52 calibre gun which can now fire up to 42 km. Dhanush weighs less than 14000 kg. The newly upgraded gun has double baffle muzzle brake and retractable barrel. The upgraded Dhanush successfully completed the testing phase.

Ramjet Propelled Artillery Shell
IIT Madras along with IIT Kanpur, Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI) are working on redesigning an existing 155 mm shell using ramjet propulsion with 60 km+ range that will be compatible with Dhanush. It will use precision guidance kit for trajectory correction. IIT Madras is ensuring that Munitions India can manufacture the shells.

155 mm Smart Artillery Shell
IIT Madras is working with Munitions India to develop 155 mm Smart Artillery Shells with a CEP of less than 10 meters that are compatible with firing from Dhanush without the need for modification. Utilizing fin stabilization, canard control, and a three-mode fuse operation, the shell will be guided by NavIC satellites. Its range will be 8 km at minimum and 38 km at maximum.

Variant
A vehicle mounted variant of the gun called Mounted Gun System was showcased by OFB at the Defexpo 2018 show. The gun is mounted on a 8x8 Tatra truck manufactured under license by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and has a 30 km/h cross country speed and 80 km/h road speed.
 * Towed variant
 * Self propelled/MGS:

Users

 * 🇮🇳 India: Indian Army - 114 units ordered, 18 delivered. First regiment is operational near Line of Actual Control (LAC). All units expected to be delivered by 2026.